![Top 8 Credit Cards Optimized for Cruise Reservations [Year 2025]](/en/content/images/size/w1280/format/webp/20250810025957_best-credit-cards-for.jpeg)
Top-notch Credit Cards for Cruise Reservations [Year 2025]
When it comes to maximising your rewards for cruise travel, several credit cards stand out. Here's a roundup of the best options for earning transferable points, cash-back, or cruise line perks when booking cruises.
1. Chase Sapphire Reserve® and Chase Sapphire Preferred® Cards
These cards earn Chase Ultimate Rewards points, which can be transferred 1:1 to numerous airline and hotel loyalty programs, offering flexibility for travel redemptions including cruises booked via airline partners or hotels near ports. They also offer premium travel benefits (Reserve especially) and strong signup bonuses. Chase points can transfer instantly to airline partners like Air Canada Aeroplan and British Airways Avios, making them valuable for cruise-related travel.
2. Royal Caribbean Visa Signature® Card and Celebrity Cruises® Visa Signature® Card
These cards are co-branded with the respective cruise lines. They offer 2X MyCruise points on purchases made with the cruise lines, and 1X on other purchases. MyCruise points can be redeemed for onboard credits, discounts, upgrades, and free trips. Both cards have no annual or foreign transaction fees, and often provide onboard credit signup bonuses.
3. American Express Green Card and Gold Card
The American Express Green Card and Gold Card earn Membership Rewards points for travel purchases, including cruises, with bonuses on travel and dining (Green Card focuses on travel and transit; Gold Card on restaurants and U.S. supermarkets). Membership Rewards points can transfer to multiple airline and hotel partners, allowing flexibility in redeeming for cruise-related travel.
4. Flat-rate Cash-Back Cards Like Blue Cash Preferred® from American Express
Offering 1%-6% cash-back on purchases, including at stores that sell cruise line gift cards, these cards can indirectly boost rewards on cruises.
Summary Table
| Card | Rewards Type | Cruise-Specific Benefits | Annual Fee | Transferable Points | Signup Bonus / Perks | |--------------------------------------|------------------------------|---------------------------------------------------|------------|---------------------|------------------------------------------| | Chase Sapphire Reserve® | Ultimate Rewards points | Flexible travel transfer partners | Yes | Yes | Large bonuses, premium travel perks | | Chase Sapphire Preferred® | Ultimate Rewards points | Good baseline travel redemptions | Yes | Yes | Strong initial bonuses | | Royal Caribbean Visa Signature® | MyCruise points | 2X on RC purchases, onboard credits, no fees | No | No | Signup onboard credit bonuses | | Celebrity Cruises Visa Signature® | MyCruise points | 2X on Celebrity Cruises, onboard credits | No | No | $100 onboard credit signup bonus | | American Express Green / Gold Card | Membership Rewards points | Points can transfer to airline/hotel partners | Yes | Yes | Travel/dining bonuses | | Blue Cash Preferred by Amex | Cash-back | High cash back on stores selling cruise gift cards | Yes | No | Cash back bonuses |
In addition, the American Express Gold Card offers an up-to-$10 monthly dining credit and an up-to-$10 monthly Uber cash credit to help offset the annual fee cost. Enrollment is required for these benefits. The Chase Sapphire Preferred Card offers 75,000 bonus points after spending $5,000 on purchases in the first 3 months from account opening.
- For those interested in news regarding travel, a roundup of the best credit cards for earning rewards on cruises includes the Chase Sapphire Reserve® and Chase Sapphire Preferred® Cards.
- The Royal Caribbean Visa Signature® Card and Celebrity Cruises® Visa Signature® Card are co-branded with these cruise lines, offering 2X MyCruise points on purchases made with the respective cruise lines.
- The American Express Green Card and Gold Card, while not co-branded, earn Membership Rewards points for travel purchases, including cruises, providing flexibility in redeeming for cruise-related travel.
- Flat-rate cash-back cards like Blue Cash Preferred® from American Express can indirectly boost rewards on cruises by offering cash-back on purchases at stores that sell cruise line gift cards.
- In the realm of personal-finance and investing, it's worth noting that some of these cards come with large signup bonuses and premium travel perks, such as the Chase Sapphire Reserve®.
- For those following entertainment news, these credit cards also offer strong travel benefits, with the Chase Sapphire Reserve® providing a 1:1 transfer of Ultimate Rewards points to numerous airline and hotel loyalty programs.
- In the world of lifestyle and self-development, education-and-self-development enthusiasts might find value in the transferable Membership Rewards points offered by the American Express Green Card and Gold Card for various airline and hotel partners.
- Lastly, for those with an interest in casino-and-gambling and seeking to diversify their portfolio, these transferable points could potentially be exchanged for staying at hotels near ports, should the opportunity for playing arise during travel.
